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Man accused of barricading himself in camper after assault

A Crookston man faces 20 years in prison after police say he assaulted a woman before barricading himself in a camper at an East Grand Forks RV retailer.

Timothy Byron Youngquist, 59, appeared Tuesday in Polk County Court on a first-degree felony charge of burglary and a fifth degree misdemeanor charge of assault. He was booked Monday into the Northwest Regional Corrections Center, hours after he allegedly assaulted a woman he knows Sunday night.

Youngquist woke the woman up before yelling at her, ripping off her shirt and dumping a drink on her head, according to court documents. He then hit her on the face and sides before putting his hand over her mouth so she couldn't breathe, court documents state. She had blood on her face when she reported the incident to officers, and bruises could be seen on her arms, stomach, back and face, court documents said.

East Grand Forks police went to Leisureland RV, where Youngquist was staying in a camper, after the woman pointed out where the camper was, court documents said. The camper he was in was on display for sale, and the owner said he did not give Youngquist permission to stay in the camper, court documents said. He sold the camper to Youngquist for $7,500, and Youngquist gave him a check for $500, saying he would pay the rest later, court documents said.

After Youngquist moved the trailer to a campground, the original owner repossessed it because the check bounced.

Officers made contact with Youngquist through the back window, but he barricaded himself in the camper, refused to come out and eventually stopped talking to them, court documents said. He called 911 multiple times and said he wanted to sleep for several hours and "I am going to pull the plug and end this," according to court documents.

About 75 minutes later, a tow truck moved a trailer next to the camper, allowing officers to arrest Youngquist.

Youngquist later told officers he was trying to make a deal with the owner to buy the camper, court documents said. He accused the woman of "sleeping with people" and called her a "drama queen," adding "it is a two-way street for their fighting," court documents said. He also said she hits him, that he has bruises and he put his hands over her mouth to "stop her from snoring," court documents said.

His alcohol blood content after the incident was 0.297 percent, court documents said.

April Baumgarten joined the Grand Forks Herald May 19, 2015, and covers crime and education. She grew up on a ranch 10 miles southeast of Belfield, where her family raises registered Hereford cattle. She double majored in communications and history/political science at Jamestown (N.D.) College, now known as University of Jamestown. During her time at the college, she worked as a reporter and editor-in-chief for the university's newspaper, The Collegian. Baumgarten previously worked for The Dickinson Press as a city government and energy reporter in 2011 before becoming the editor of the Hazen Star and Center Republican. She then returned to The Press as a news editor, where she helped lead an award-winning newsroom in recording the historical oil boom.